Sushi and BBQ are without a doubt two of my favourite foods of all time, so how could I say no when I heard that Tokyo Chubo took over the old shopfront by Akaichi Yakiniku, opening Kanpai Izakaya, selling both sushi and BBQ. Having been recommended this place by the owner of Sunnybank Fish Market, I made plans to head out with friends for a dinner as soon as possible.
I had never been to Akaichi Yakiniku due to poor reviews, but per my friends who had gone, their has been minimal changes to the setup which was still fairly new.
The menu was available per a QR code on the table and we could all log in and add to the same table to order. As alluded to, there was a selection of BBQ meats as well as sushi.
Once we put our order down, the charcoal arrived. At this point, I have to give a special mention to Kanpai Izakaya for having the self ventilating BBQs which meant that none of our clothes were infused with BBQ smell and we also didn't have the distracting ventilator hanging in front of our faces to distract conversation.
First to show up was the beef tataki, a signature from Tokyo Chubo across the street. It was a tasty appetizer with delicious thin slices of eye fillet doused with a delicious ponzu sauce, topped with onion, spring onion and radish. This dish was executed well and left me wanting more.
Nigiri was on the menu in portions of two each, so we ordered three of the otoro and uni nigiri. I think the cut of tuna used was probably closer to chutoro than otoro given the fat content, but the tuna and uni were undeniably fresh. I could have had many more of these.
Between the five of us, we also shared a wagyu and pork combo, we had three cuts of wagyu and pork, that came without label. The pork I could identify as jowl, belly and loin whereas the wagyu we had oyster blade and two more undefined cuts.
The meat quality itself was of a high standard and we were all fairly satisfied with what we got. The beef was all very tender and buttery, whilst the jowl as always captivated my interest with its delicious crunchy texture. Coupled with the delicious bbq sauce and fluffy white rice we ordered, it went down a treat.
We also had a dish of assorted vege tempura to share. This was expertly done with a crispy coating that was crunchy without being oily, the assortment was also quite vast with only one or two types of vegies being duplicated, so that alone would be reason for me to go back and order another dish to sample the others I didn't get.
Wanting more sushi options, we also had two futomaki to share, these were thick delicious rolls with ample salmon, tuna and scallop. What made it stand out from other sushi was the thin sliced radish that encased the nori sheets, providing additional crunch for the roll. These were also well received by the group but on the expensive side when you consider that each piece equated to almost $6 each.
Overall we had a pleasant experience at Kanpai Izakaya. It wasn't the best value for money, but we got quality for what we paid for and on that basis, I would come back for more of their food.
Taste: 8/10
Value: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
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